Trivia For You.com

Heart to Toe

Karl — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:52:31 +0000

No one seems to know why people blush.

In 1972, a group of scientists reported that you could cure the common cold by freezing the big toe.

The number one cause of blindness in the United States is diabetes.

The adult human heart weighs about ten ounces.

People who laugh a lot are much healthier than those who don’t. Dr. Lee Berk at the Loma Linda School of Public Health in California found that laughing lowers levels of stress hormones, and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds have it best – they laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

People who have a tough time handling the stress of money woes are twice as likely to develop severe gum disease, a new study finds.

Between 25% to 33% of the population sneeze when they are exposed to light.

A Major City That Consists of Only Three Colors

Karl — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:46:43 +0000

The Earth-Moon size ratio is the largest in our solar system, excepting Pluto-Charon.

The night sky appears full of stars, but actually only about 3,000 stars are visible to the naked eye.

Planning a trip to Pluto soon? A round trip will be 7,000,000,000 miles.

There are ten human body parts that are only three letters long: Eye, Ear, Leg, Arm, Jaw, Gum, Toe, Lip, Hip and Rib.

After human death, post-mortem rigidity starts in the head and travels to the feet, and leaves the same way it came — head to toe.

A Laforte fracture is a fracture of all facial bones. It would allow one to pull on another face and remove it like a mask if not held on by skin.

The Toronto Maple leafs used to be called the Toronto Arenas, then the St. Patricks and finally the Maple Leafs.

Pro golfer Wayne Levi was the first PGA pro to win a tournament using a colored (orange) ball. He did it in the Hawaiian Open in 1982.

Many Japanese golfers carry “hole-in-one” insurance, because it is traditional in Japan to share one’s good luck by sending gifts to all your friends when you get an “ace.” The price for what the Japanese term an “albatross” can often reach $10,000.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the only city in the U.S. with three sports teams that all wear the same colors.

In 1986 Danny Heep became the first player in a World Series to be a designated hitter (DH) with the initials “D.H.”

John Wayne Once Owned Lassie

Karl — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:30:14 +0000

*Stephen Speilberg directed the first ever episode of Columbo.

*Harry Houdini as the first man to fly a plane in Australia-in 1910.

*The world’s first traffic island was installed at his own expense by Colonel Pierrepoint outside his London club.He was killed crossing over to it.

*Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

*Sir JM Barrie,Sir Isaac Newton and Hans Christian Anderson all died virgins.

*John Wayne once won the dog Lassie from it’s owner in a poker game.

*Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson each grew up beleiving their mothers to be their sisters.

*Chuck Berry invented the duck walk initally to hide the creases in his suit.

*Pope John XII and Attilla the hun both died whilst having sex.

*Mongolians put salt in their tea instead of sugar.

*Disneyworld is bigger than than the world’s five smallest countries.

*Jennifer Anniston’s godfather was Telly Savalas.

Grateful Warlocks

Karl — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:02:06 +0000

Bile produced by the liver is responsible for making your feces a brownish, green colour

At one time the group “Grateful Dead” were called “The Warlocks.”

Bats can detect food up to 18 feet away and what type of insect the food may be using their sense of echolocation

At the equator the Earth spins at about 1,038 miles per hour

People whose mouth has a narrow roof are more likely to snore. This is because they have less oxygen going through their nose

In one day, a human sheds 10 billion skin flakes. This amounts to approximately two kilograms in a year

On average, an American home has 3-10 gallons of hazardous materials

On average, 35 meters of hair fibre is produced on the adult scalp

Marshmallow Peeps

Karl — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:48:33 +0000

The stapler was invented in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

The first television newscaster was Kolin Hager, who used to broadcast farm and weather reports in 1928

Pixie, a Siberian Husky, gave birth to 7 puppies, one of which was bright green

Back in 1953, it took 27 hours to make one Marshmallow Peep. Now it takes only six minutes

On average, an ear of a corn has 16 rows and approximately 800 kernels

The green ring that is formed around the yolk of eggs that have been cooked too long is formed by the chemical reaction from the iron in the yolk and the sulphur in the white part of the egg

The silk that is produced by spiders is stronger than steel

The first president to have a picture taken was John Quincy Adams

Some brands of toothpaste contain glycerin or glycerol, which is also an ingredient in antifreeze

1 in 2000 babies are born with a tooth that is already visible.

It was during World War II that clothes with elastic waists were introduced. This is because the metal used in zippers was badly needed for the war

In 1902, the game table tennis was brought to the U.S. from Europe by Parker Brothers

Hershey’s Kisses are called that because the machine that makes themlooks like it’s kissing the conveyor belt.

Snoopy Falls Out of Plane

Karl — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:26:18 +0000

When airplanes were still a novel invention, seat belts for pilots were installed only after the consequence of their absence was observed to be fatal – several pilots fell to their deaths while flying upside down.

Limelight was how we lit the stage before electricity was invented. Basically, illumination was produced by heating blocks of lime until they glowed.

On November 29, 1941, the program for the annual Army-Navy football game carried a picture of the Battleship Arizona, captioned: “It is significant that despite the claims of air enthusiasts no battleship has yet been sunk by bombs.” Today you can visit the site—now a shrine—where Japanese dive bombers sunk the Arizona at Pearl Harbor only nine days later.

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

During the California Gold Rush of 1849 miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years it was deemed more feasible to send the shirts to Hawaii for servicing.

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Egyptian men never became bald. The reason for this, Herodotus claimed, was that as children Egyptian males had their heads shaved, and their scalps were continually exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun.

In 1893, Chicago hired its first police woman. Her name was Marie Owens. While the city was progressive in its hiring practices, Chicago’s female police officers were not allowed to wear uniforms until 1956.

Mr. Cat Poop

Karl — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:14:34 +0000

The person who performs the Muppets – Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, and Grover is Frank Oz. Oz is also the voice of Star Wars Yoda. By the way, his real name is Frank Oznowicz.

The 1997 Jack Nicholson film – “As Good As It Gets”, is known in China as “Mr. Cat Poop”.

Of the six men who made up the Three Stooges, three of them were real brothers (Moe, Curly and Shemp.)

The writers of The Simpsons have never revealed what state Springfield is in.

A theater manager in Seoul, Korea felt that The Sound of Music was too long, so he shortened it by cutting out all the songs.

Bruce was the nickname of the mechanical shark used in the “Jaws” movies.

The original title of the musical “Hello Dolly!” was “Dolly: A Damned Exasperating Woman.” Why did they change it? The original had such music, poetry, and pizzazz.

Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.

A two hour motion picture uses 10,800 feet of film. Not including the previews and commercials.

For many years, the globe on the NBC Nightly News spun in the wrong direction. On January 2, 1984, NBC finally set the world spinning back in the proper direction.

The Easter Egg

Karl — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:26:33 +0000

Saki

The Easter Egg

It was distinctly hard lines for Lady Barbara, who came of good fighting stock, and was one of the bravest women of her generation, that her son should be so undisguisedly a coward. Whatever good qualities Lester Slaggby may have possessed, and he was in some respects charming, courage could certainly never be imputed to him. As a child he had suffered from childish timidity, as a boy from unboyish funk, and as a youth he had exchanged unreasoning fears for others which were more formidable from the fact of having a carefully-thought-out basis. He was frankly afraid of animals, nervous with firearms, and never crossed the Channel without mentally comparing the numerical proportion of life belts to passengers. On horseback he seemed to require as many hands as a Hindu god, at least four for clutching the reins, and two more for patting the horse soothingly on the neck. Lady Barbara no longer pretended not to see her son’s prevailing weakness; with her usual courage she faced the knowledge of it squarely, and, mother-like, loved him none the less.
Continental travel, anywhere away from the great tourist tracks, was a favoured hobby with Lady Barbara, and Lester joined her as often as possible. Eastertide usually found her at Knobaltheim, an upland township in one of those small princedoms that make inconspicuous freckles on the map of Central Europe.
A long-standing acquaintanceship with the reigning family made her a personage of due importance in the eyes of her old friend the Burgomaster, and she was anxiously consulted by that worthy on the momentous occasion when the Prince made known his intention of coming in person to open a sanatorium outside the town. All the usual items in a programme of welcome, some of them fatuous and commonplace, others quaint and charming, had been arranged for, but the Burgomaster hoped that the resourceful English lady might have something new and tasteful to suggest in the way of loyal greeting. The Prince was known to the outside world, if at all, as an old-fashioned reactionary, combating modern progress, as it were, with a wooden sword; to his own people he was known as a kindly old gentleman with a certain endearing stateliness which had nothing of standoffishness about it. Knobaltheim was anxious to do its best. Lady Barbara discussed the matter with Lester and one or two acquaintances in her little hotel, but ideas were difficult to come by.

< 2 >

“Might I suggest something to the Gnoedige Frau?” asked a sallow high-cheekboned lady to whom the Englishwoman had spoken once or twice, and whom she had set down in her mind as probably a Southern Slav.
“Might I suggest something for the Reception Fest?” she went on, with a certain shy eagerness. “Our little child here, our baby, we will dress him in little white coat, with small wings, as an Easter angel, and he will carry a large white Easter egg, and inside shall be a basket of plover eggs, of which the Prince is so fond, and he shall give it to his Highness as Easter offering. It is so pretty an idea; we have seen it done once in Styria.”
Lady Barbara looked dubiously at the proposed Easter angel, a fair, wooden-faced child of about four years old. She had noticed it the day before in the hotel, and wondered rather how such a tow-headed child could belong to such a dark-visaged couple as the woman and her husband; probably, she thought, an adopted baby, especially as the couple were not young.
“Of course Gnoedige Frau will escort the little child up to the Prince,” pursued the woman; “but he will be quite good, and do as he is told.”
“We haf some pluffers’ eggs shall come fresh from Wien,” said the husband.
The small child and Lady Barbara seemed equally unenthusiastic about the pretty idea; Lester was openly discouraging, but when the Burgomaster heard of it he was enchanted. The combination of sentiment and plovers’ eggs appealed strongly to his Teutonic mind.
On the eventful day the Easter angel, really quite prettily and quaintly dressed, was a centre of kindly interest to the gala crowd marshalled to receive his Highness. The mother was unobtrusive and less fussy than most parents would have been under the circumstances, merely stipulating that she should place the Easter egg herself in the arms that had been carefully schooled how to hold the precious burden. Then Lady Barbara moved forward, the child marching stolidly and with grim determination at her side. It had been promised cakes and sweeties galore if it gave the egg well and truly to the kind old gentleman who was waiting to receive it. Lester had tried to convey to it privately that horrible smackings would attend any failure in its share of the proceedings, but it is doubtful if his German caused more than an immediate distress. Lady Barbara had thoughtfully provided herself with an emergency supply of chocolate sweetmeats; children may sometimes be timeservers, but they do not encourage long accounts. As they approached nearer to the princely dais Lady Barbara stood discreetly aside, and the stolid-faced infant walked forward alone, with staggering but steadfast gait. encouraged by a murmur of elderly approval. Lester, standing in the front row of the onlookers, turned to scan the crowd for the beaming faces of the happy parents. In a side-road which led to the railway station he saw a cab; entering the cab with every appearance of furtive haste were the dark-visaged couple who had been so plausibly eager for the “pretty idea.” The sharpened instinct of cowardice lit up the situation to him in one swift flash. The blood roared and surged to his head as though thousands of floodgates had been opened in his veins and arteries, and his brain was the common sluice in which all the torrents met. He saw nothing but a blur around him. Then the blood ebbed away in quick waves, till his very heart seemed drained and empty, and he stood nervelessly, helplessly, dumbly watching the child, bearing its accursed burden with slow, relentless steps nearer and nearer to the group that waited sheep-like to receive him. A fascinated curiosity compelled Lester to turn his head towards the fugitives; the cab had started at hot pace in the direction of the station.

< 3 >

The next moment Lester was running, running faster than any of those present had ever seen a man run, and – he was not running away. For that stray fraction of his life some unwonted impulse beset him, some hint of the stock he came from, and he ran unflinchingly towards danger. He stooped and clutched at the Easter egg as one tries to scoop up the ball in Rugby football. What he meant to do with it he had not considered, the thing was to get it. But the child had been promised cakes and sweetmeats if it safely gave the egg into the hands of the kindly old gentleman; it uttered no scream but it held to its charge with limpet grip. Lester sank to his knees, tugging savagely at the tightly clasped burden, and angry cries rose from the scandalized onlookers. A questioning, threatening ring formed round him, then shrank back in recoil as he shrieked out one hideous word. Lady Barbara heard the word and saw the crowd race away like scattered sheep, saw the Prince forcibly hustled away by his attendants; also she saw her son lying prone in an agony of overmastering terror, his spasm of daring shattered by the child’s unexpected resistance, still clutching frantically, as though for safety, at that white-satin gew-gaw, unable to crawl even from its deadly neighbourhood, able only to scream and scream and scream. In her brain she was dimly conscious of balancing, or striving to balance, the abject shame which had him now in thrall against the one compelling act of courage which had flung him grandly and madly on to the point of danger. It was only for the fraction of a minute that she stood watching the two entangled figures, the infant with its woodenly obstinate face and body tense with dogged resistance, and the boy limp and already nearly dead with a terror that almost stifled his screams; and over them the long gala streamers flapping gaily in the sunshine. She never forgot the scene; but then, it was the last she ever saw.
Lady Barbara carries her scarred face with its sightless eyes as bravely as ever in the world, but at Eastertide her friends are careful to keep from her ears any mention of the children’s Easter symbol.

Worm Food

Karl — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:13:53 +0000

There is an area located off the south-eastern Atlantic coast of the United States called the “Bermuda Triangle.” It is known for a high rate of unexplained losses of ships, small boats, and aircraft, which has led some people to believe that this triangle has supernatural powers.

State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.

Some toothpastes and deodorants contain the same chemicals found in antifreeze.

The Shroud of Turin is the single most studied artifact in human history .

Smartest dogs: 1) Scottish border collie; 2) Poodle; 3) Golden retriever.

The sperm count of an average American male compared to thirty years ago is down thirty percent

Humpback whales are capable of living up to 95 years.

The 1912, a wrestling match in Stockholm between Finn Alfred Asikainen and Russian Martin Klein lasted more than 11 hours. Klein eventually won, but was to tired to participate in the championship match

Manitoulin Island is the largest island in a fresh water lake. It is located in Canadian Lake Superior.

Cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.

The Chinese politician Mao Zedong refused to ever brush his teeth and instead just washed his mouth with tea.

The Super Bowl is broadcast to over 182 countries in the world.

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

In 1884, Dr. Hervey D. Thatcher invented the milk bottle.

Some Ribbon worm will eat themselves if they cannot find food.This type of worm can still survive after eating up to 95% of its body weight.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is “uncopyrightable.”

Singer Chaka Khan came out with a line of chocolates called “Chakalates.”

In a day 34,000 children die every day from causes that are related to poverty and hunger.

Pizza Feast

Karl — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:55:53 +0000

The biggest pumpkin the world weighs 1,337.6 pounds .

The highest consumption of Pizza occurs during Super Bowl week.

During World War II, condoms were used to cover rifle barrels from being damaged by salt water as the soldiers swam to shore.

Approximately 55% of movies released are Rated R.

The Roman emperor Domitian took great pleasure in being secluded in his room for hours and catching flies and stabbing them with pens.

Tarantulas can live up to 30 years.

On average redheads have 90,000 hairs. People with black hair have about 110,000 hairs

More than half the time spent in United States courts is cases that involve automobiles.

One barrel of petroleum holds 42 gallons.